Eastman stops using Nitro switches to Truetone

[AlanSam]

Yes, bit of a shock! The statement above refers to 'green' issues which is politically correct. BUT - I am a bit of a cynic and view such radical changes as being driven by $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Also, does this point to Eastman gearing up to boost output, and if so what is next? Rolling back 'hands on construction'? And I wonder if people have already bought any of the new 'Poly Eastmans' believing they were Nitro finished?  

Eastman are apparently going to continue with their antique varnish finishes. Thing is, these are currently finished with nitro over the top - I saw one of the NAM vids where Pepin t'Hart stated this (he came up with the idea), so the obvious question is, is this option going to be finished with poly over the violin varnish? Using Nitro may be viewed in some quarters as anachronistic, but that's a large part of Eatman's appeal.

And what about the forth coming Eastman-Bourgeois range? I wonder what Dana thinks? 

The best outcome would be that a thin layer of Poly will not sound worse than a thin layer of Nitro, whilst being a tougher finish. But there is no way Poly will age as beautifully as Nitro. 

So - hang on to your Nitro Eastmans. They will almost certainly become especially sought after.

Am I happy about this? Absolutely not! Maybe it's a joke - hope so!